“Tell us about the man who plays the eye candy. This was his debut film, no?” Tina asked.
“That’s right. It’s actually one of my bodyguards,” I answered.
“He’s even hunkier in person,” Ruby added, winking at me. I scratched near my ear and pretended I didn’t think exactly the same thing.
“Sounds heavenly,” Tina agreed, fanning at the splotchy red spots that were creeping up her chest and neck. “Does he happen to be here?”
Before I could stutter out an answer, the audience whooped and cheered along with Tina while backstage, there was a flurry of activity. Harrison was slipping a blazer on over Josh’s button up shirt, while Casey was rubbing product in his hair, and Wanda was brushing powder on his nose. Gratefully, the audience was cheering too loudly to hear me snort upon seeing the bewildered expression on Josh’s face. I hid my laughter behind the back of my hand. Before he could protest, George gave Josh a quick pep talk and pushed him out onto the stage.
Josh hesitated briefly, squinting against the glare of the overhead lights. I could see George hissing at him to smile and wave. Josh snapped out of being shell-shocked, and that smile that made my insides turn to mush graced his lips, showcasing his perfectly straight, white teeth. His untamed stubble only added to his attractiveness, and in no way did it look presumptuous, like Preston’s perfectly manicured patch of facial hair. Josh raised his hand into the air, thanking the audience for their welcome, while strolling over to a microphone on a stand that was positioned under a spotlight toward the back of the set.
The audience died down, anticipating what Josh was going to say. Someone whistled loudly from the audience, and Josh chuckled, turning an adorable shade of pink.
“Thank you,” he said, looking in vain against the bright lights to whoever catcalled at him. Turning back to Tina, he spoke into the microphone, “Thanks for having me, Tina.”
“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you,” Tina said with a wicked grin. I noticed her eyes flick down to Josh’s chest as she nibbled her lip. She certainly wasn’t one to keep her thoughts to herself. “So, Josh. Tell us about how you came to be involved with this incredible music video Kiki just released.”
“Well,” Josh said, clearing his throat and ducking down slightly to speak into the microphone, “to tell the story of that, I’d have to go back to middle school.”
“Middle school?” Tina parroted, looking confused.
“That’s actually where I first met M—”
I clenched my jaw and glared so hard at Josh I was surprised I didn’t shoot lasers from my pupils. Thankfully, he picked up on my silent warning and corrected himself.
“Uh, Kiki. We were classmates at the same school in central Kansas.”
“And did you run in the same circle while at school?” Tina asked, folding her hands together and resting her chin on top of them. I couldn’t see her face, but she was probably batting her big fake eyelashes at him, too.
“Not really. We had a few classes together, the same lunch period, that kind of stuff but otherwise, we didn’t hang out much. Kiki was always so much cooler than I was.”
My jaw wanted to fall to the floor while my insides swirled with giddy butterflies, but I refused to compromise my poker face. I played it cool, like I’d heard all of this a thousand times before.
“Really?” Tina asked. “I would have pegged you as one of the cool kids.”
Josh nodded in agreement. “I was certainly the popular jock but deep down, I knew Kiki was going somewhere. Even in that awkward, adolescent phase, she had a voice that could blow an audience over, and it’s like she was a completely different person on stage. She wasn’t in her shell when she performed, and that’s when people could see a glimpse of the real Kiki.”
Ruby leaned over and whispered, “Wow, he’s good.”
I nodded discreetly but quickly turned my attention back to Josh. Sure, people had praised me left and right for years but so much of it felt forced, like it was a favor they expected in return from me someday. Josh had known me at one of the lowest points of my life and somehow, still managed to see a morsel of what I was going to become through dedication and sheer grit.
“So, fast forward to now. Did you two stay in touch all those years?” Tina asked.
“Nah,” Josh answered, rocking back onto one foot. “By high school, Kiki had disappeared. She somehow figured out a way to finish school early while managing to get herself signed with Harper Music. Eventually, I was hired on to work as part of her security detail.”
“Did you two hit it off right away?” Tina pressed.
“Yeah. You could say that,” Josh said with a killer smile. His eyes flicked over to mine, and he winked so fast I would have missed it if I wasn’t looking. I wouldn’t call macing someone hitting it off, but Josh had a funny sense of humor.
Tina shook her head, trying to rattle loose the tangle of thoughts in her brain. “So, wait. How does that transfer to you being the eye candy in Only You?”
“It’s sort of a long story but basically, the man originally hired was unable to make it at the last minute, so I was asked to help by filling in,” Josh answered.
Tina swiveled in her chair toward me. “Lucky you, huh, Kiki?”
All I could manage was a pleasant smile and a nod. Tina turned back to Josh, and while they bantered back and forth for a while, I realized my hands were locked in a death grip with each other. I couldn’t quite pin down why I was so nervous about Josh talking—he’d been nothing but a boon to the interview. Forcing my hands to relax, I put my elbows on the armrests of the plush chair and rearranged my ankles. If I was lounging around in a pair of jeans, I would have crossed one knee over the other, or if I was really wanting to get comfortable, would have splayed myself across the seat but since Harrison had put me in a spicy little ensemble that made my toned legs look longer than they really were, ankle crossing was going to have to do.
“Last question, Josh, then we have to take a commercial break…” Tina said, “what’s it like working with Kiki?”
My heart launched into my nose, and I swear I could hear the second-hand ticking on the cameraman’s wristwatch. Here it comes. The brutally honest truth that I’m a horrible, sassy, self-centered brat. That’s what Preston would have said. He would have laughed afterward, like he was joking or implied that my flaws were endearing, but he meant every cutting remark he told others about me. Sadly, he wasn’t always wrong.
Josh’s blue-gray eyes were on me for a moment, like he was trying to quantify just what to say about me. Without moving his gaze back to Tina, he said simply, “She’s always a pleasure to work with.”
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice!” Tina cried, leading the audience in a boisterous round of applause. “When we come back from break, Kiki is going to share with us her first live performance of Only You!” Josh waved again to the crowd he couldn’t see and took two long strides over to Tina, who took his handshake and pulled him in for more than a few kisses on both cheeks.
With the cameras and microphones off, George came out to usher me to the next stage to do a quick wardrobe change and warm up before singing. As I passed Josh and Tina, who still had his hand in hers and was stroking his knuckles with her manicured nails, she leaned in for one more question.
“Tell me now, Josh. Are you single?”
Chapter Fourteen
This is where I was meant to be. This is where I could be myself. Standing center stage with a spotlight pouring over me, the band played the opening riff, and I stepped up to the microphone to start singing the opening lyrics of Only You.
I forgot about my insecurities and wondering what Josh had said to Tina about her not-so-subtle invitation to go on a date. Right now, music was all that mattered, and it was the kind of balm I needed to salve my brittle spirit.
Monica picked up the harmony behind me, and I was grateful to have her. How she had ever gotten tangled up with Preston, I’d never know, but he had done a good thing
bringing her back to Harper Music. She wasn’t ready to be a headliner yet, but the spark of greatness was there. She just had to believe it, embrace it, and step forward without looking back.
The song ended, and I knew the audience had eaten it up. I could only see their silhouettes around the bright beam of the spotlight, but people were standing on their seats, and one man heaved a hefty bouquet of red roses, that came crashing down on the set. I could make out Josh practically army crawling underneath the cameras and snatching the roses. He took them back to the sidelines, where Bert waved a metal detector around the flowers and dug through them to make sure there was nothing awry. Then, they handed them over to one of the show’s interns, who carted them off to find a vase before they were placed in my dressing room.
I bowed graciously and waved with a glamorous smile to my fans. There was nothing like roaring applause to boost my moral. Stardom had undoubtedly spoiled me. The show cut for commercial again, and I was free to go backstage and wait until the end of the show, when I’d sign autographs for the audience and pose for a million selfies before calling it a night.
Passing Bert and Josh, I teased, “I saw what you were doing with my flowers, Bert. No doubt you were hoping someone had thrown me chocolate roses, which you would have snuck.”
Bert blinked but otherwise, gave no indication he found my remark amusing.
“Ignore him,” Josh said, jabbing his thumb in Bert’s direction. “He traded in his sense of humor for bigger biceps, I think.”
Without missing a beat, Bert said in his low, gravelly voice, “Worked, didn’t it?”
I laughed and smacked Bert playfully on the shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think your sense of humor is alive and well, Bert.”
He grinned smugly and Josh handed Cinnamon over. Suddenly, I felt a stab of guilt, thinking about how I’d treated Josh before, like he was my servant. I swallowed my pride and apologized.
“Josh?” He looked at me, and my heart started thumping. If it pounded much harder, it was possible it’d break my ribs and leap free of my chest. “About earlier. I’m really sorry about how I treated you, making you go out and walk Cinnamon.”
He raised an eyebrow and grinned. “You peg me as a pushover? Just so you know, nobody makes me do what I don’t want to do.”
“But dog walker isn’t exactly in your job description,” I protested. “I feel like I’ve been making your job more challenging by being a bit…”
“Stubborn,” Bert finished for me. I gave him a stink face, which melted into a head nod of agreement.
“Look,” Josh said, “I know Preston gets under your skin. He isn’t exactly the most pleasant guy to be around. He’s arrogant, sly, and what is it with him using big words incorrectly?”
I had to hold my sides as I laughed. “It’s his way of trying to sound smart, but unfortunately, he gets them wrong a lot which, ironically, makes him sound like more of an idiot than he would otherwise be.”
“I see,” Josh said, with half his mouth hitched up into an amused grin. “Anyway, I was walking Cinnamon as a favor for you. As a friend.”
Friend. I liked the sound of that. We could go from there.
“So, did you have to pick up any…” I cringed, waiting for Josh to answer.
Smiling broadly, he shook his head. “Nope. I think he’s saving up a big ol’ pile just for you.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “I need to hire a traveling dog walker, pronto.”
I steered my way over to the snack table and grabbed a small bunch of green grapes, popping one between my teeth and grabbing a handful to take back with me to my dressing room.
“So, about Preston. What do you want me to do?” Josh looked over to Bert, who was loading a plate with sliced meats and assorted cheeses. “I mean us. Your security team.”
I talked around a half-masticated grape, too hungry to care that it was bad manners. “He’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve kicked him to the curb once before, and I’ll do it again if I have to. His ego is wounded is all.”
Josh nodded, though he looked like he wanted to say more.
“Let’s stop by my dressing room. The sequins on this dress are going to give me hives if I don’t get it off soon.”
Bert and Josh followed me down the brightly lit hallway to where my name had been printed in gold sparkles on a pink star and attached to the door opposite Ruby’s.
“Hey, wait up!” Preston called, jogging down the hall.
“Speak of the devil,” I mumbled under my breath.
“You sure you don’t want me to…?” Josh flexed his arms as he put up his fists.
Grabbing his biceps, I gave them a teensy squeeze, just to satiate my curiosity. Oh, yeah. They were as rock hard as I had imagined them. I pushed his arm back down and shook my head.
“What is it, Preston? I’m going to get changed into something more comfortable, if you don’t mind,” I grumbled.
“That’s a shame,” Preston said, letting his eyes drip down my body. I crossed my arms and faced him, refusing to be intimidated by his overt display of lust, to which he held up his hands like I was pointing a loaded gun at him. “All I’m sayin’ is you look really nice in that dress. It flatters your figure. Right, fellas?”
Preston elbowed Josh in the ribs and chuckled. Knitting his eyebrows together, Josh answered. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Ouch.
“I’d rather not talk about my figure right now, or lack thereof,” I snipped, throwing a sideways glare at Josh, who turned a touch pink. At least he had the sense to be embarrassed when it finally registered he’d unintentionally insulted me.
I turned to my door and twisted the handle, pushing it open to find the red roses in a simple jade vase. They were overshadowed by an enormous bouquet of gerbera daisies and stargazer lilies and irises, peppered with wisps of dainty white baby’s breath, all stuffed into a sparkly, crystalline vase.
“Who are those from?” I said, refusing to step a foot closer until I knew.
“Me,” Preston said proudly. “I wanted to celebrate us working together again.”
Whipping my head toward him, I firmly corrected, “I’m working with Monica, not you.”
Preston scrunched up his face and batted his hand at my comment. “You of all people should know how interconnected everything is in this industry. Sure, you’ve got the pipes, but you wouldn’t be anything without hair and makeup or wardrobe or a good backup singer. Or in Monica’s case, me.”
I stepped into my room and tried to shut the door, but Preston stuck in his foot before it latched.
“Can we talk for a minute?” Preston asked, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. I balled up my hands into fists so my pointer finger didn’t find its way into his eye with a sharp jab.
“I’m really tired,” I protested, putting my hand on my neck and rolling my head, trying to get rid of the tension that being around Preston created in my shoulders muscles.
“It’ll just take a minute. And it’s a business prostitution,” Preston pressed.
“Proposition,” Josh corrected.
“Yeah,” Preston answered, “that’s what I said. Maybe you need to clean out your ears, man.”
Ignoring Preston’s immaturity, Josh said firmly, “Miss Loveless said she’d like a minute to decompress.” He stepped toward Preston to reinforce his point.
Sneering at Josh, Preston didn’t back down. “What are you? Her therapist? Kiki is a big girl and can answer for herself. As an associate of Harper Music, I’m not a security threat, so this doesn’t concern the hired muscle.”
Looking to me, Josh waited for me to decide what I was going to do. I let go of a deep breath and said, “It’s fine. Come in, Preston. You have two minutes.” Josh’s nostrils flared and his jaw clenched but he kept quiet.
Preston reached out to Cinnamon, cooing at him in an obnoxious baby voice. Cinnamon’s eyes rolled back in his head and he bared his teeth, growling and snapping at Preston’s fingers.
“Don’t
worry, Josh. Cinnamon will protect me.” I snuggled Cinnamon close to me and gave him a kiss. Josh smiled and reached over to give Cinnamon a scratch, which was received with my dog frantically licking Josh’s fingers and thumping his tail wildly. Preston scowled at Josh and shut the door.
“Charming little rat you have there,” Preston grumbled.
“What can I say? Even my dog can tell that you’re an awful human being.”
Putting Cinnamon down on the sofa, I moved over to the brightly lit, mirrored vanity and took a seat. Cinnamon circled a few times, then curled up in the crook of the couch, keeping one eye on Preston.
“Maybe he got it wrong,” Preston suggested, attempting to sit on the couch but deciding differently when Cinnamon sprang to his feet and rushed at him with a snap.
“Cinnamon is never wrong about people.”
“Dogs aren’t capable of higher thinking, you know. They’re stupid mutts who do what they’re told. You probably haven’t trained him right.”
I sighed, tired of his pointless banter. “I know this isn’t about business, Preston. So, what is it?”
Preston strolled across the room, hands in his pockets and stuck his nose in the bouquet he’d sent, inhaling deeply. “Actually, it is really a business call. This time, anyway.”
Sitting down at the vanity, I took off the enormous, glittering earrings and necklace Harrison had given me. It felt like I’d lifted off iron cannonballs, and my earlobes thanked me for it.
Catching his reflection in the mirror, I said flatly, “I already told you I’m not interested in reconnecting so we can achieve power couple status, which seems to be your biggest ambition in life. That ship has long since sailed.”
Preston let out a one-syllable laugh, like I was rehearsing a corny joke he’d heard a million times before. “Yes, you made that abundantly clear.”
“I can’t possibly imagine what else you have up your sleeve. If snakes actually had sleeves, that is.”
“Ooo! That’s a zinger right there,” Preston said, clapping. I rolled my eyes and examined myself in the mirror.
How a Star Shines: A Pop Stars Romantic Comedy Book 2 Page 11
